Thursday, July 3, 2008

But What About Your Website?

As usual, Mitch Joel has inspired me to write a blog post. The man never ceases to amaze me with his simple yet profound gems. Yesterday he talked about being inspired to remember that it all begins and ends with the website after listening to Bryan Eisenberg's keynote presentation at Search Engine Strategies in Toronto.

Internet marketers are very busy trying to stay abreast of the latest trends, new ideas and just plain doing our jobs – and we can tend to lose focus on the destination. As Mitch points out, it isn't going to matter how great your PPC campaign, blog post or social media idea is if when the visitor is delivered to the website, they have no idea what to do or can't do what they want to do.

So, remember, focus on the website first. Ask yourself these questions: can visitors easily understand and navigate my website? Are they enabled, and even persuaded to take action? Have I made my website performance based, transactional, trackable and usable? And is my website search engine friendly so visitors can find it?

If you answered no to any of these questions, it's definitely time to review your website. After all, as Mitch notes, it's not only the destination for your online marketing – it's often the first point of contact for your customers.